Halfway House
by L-Miller
Summary: Kora Lovel, a seemingly ordinary 17 year old girl, has had to deal with a rough past. Her parents were killed by Death Eaters when she was 12, at which time her brother became her legal guardian, only to be killed 3 years later. Kora, who was about to go
1. Prologue Kora who?

b A/N: FYI This chapter is more of a plot introduction, I guess you could call it. But it is important all the same .. so here you go. The only things I claim as my own are Kora, her family, and the plot. Everything else can, and should, be credited to the lovely J.K. Rowling. /b 

Kora Lovel seemed nice enough at first glance. She had long flowy, naturally straight black hair that fell just short of the middle of her back. She had what most guys would consider to be a 'hot' body, but usually hit it behind all sorts of baggy clothes. Her face was very pretty. She had full pink lips, the perfect sized nose placed directly in the middle, and a clear complexion. Her eyes were what made her seem distant. Her blue eyes were usually fixed on the floor as she walked, not wanting to look up at all the faces that haunted her as she commuted from class to class at Hogwarts. If anybody had looked her in the eye long enough, they would've known something was wrong, it wasn't that hard to notice. The problem was nobody had.

The sad fact was that Kora was, there was no other word for it, a freak. A nobody. People had often knocked her around in the corridors and then just walked off, not even stopping to mutter an 'excuse me', or a 'sorry', or even to help her pick up her fallen books. She was used to it though, after having endured five rough years of it.

Kora had gone through a terrible loss at the age of 12; her Auror parents were murdered by Death Eaters. It had taken 6 of them. Her older brother, Matthew had then been named her legal guardian and she had lived with him for 3 years, until the Death Eaters came back. It wasn't enough to take away Kora's parents, oh no. They had to take away her brother as well. The only person left who had cared for her. The only person who had loved her. Kora had been sent off to Hogwarts that year anyway, Dumbledore said it would be for the best. Kora had always known he was off his rocker.

It was about a month into her 6th year when I _it /I _ happened. She had still been trying to get over the death of her parents, and now her brother had been killed. She just couldn't take it anymore. She had written a goodbye note ( I _'To who? No one was going to read it, let alone care.' /I _) and had her empty classroom all picked out, one she was sure that was never, ever in use.

Earlier that day she had planned everything out. She was going to do it after dinner, that way nobody would be wandering the halls, likely to find her. She hadn't eaten anything that night ( I _'What was the point, really?' /I _), instead, she kept fidgeting with something underneath the table. Something shiny. Dinner had finally ended and she got up with the rest of her schoolmates, she refused to call any of them peers, and exited through the large doorway. Instead of where she should've turned right to head to the Gryffindor Tower, she turned left, heading for her empty classroom. Nobody noticed this. Perfect. She closed her eyes while walking, thinking of the note she had left on her bed, picturing Hermione or Lavender, or Parvati walking in and finding it. ( I _'Do they even know who I am?' /I _)

She reached her destined classroom and walked inside, locking the door behind her, and walked to the farthest, most shadowy corner and sat down. She placed her hand into her pocket and withdrew a shiny, paper-thin razor. Even in the dim light, it seemed to shimmer at her, as if daring her to go through with her plan, betting her that she wouldn't do it. She was too much of a chicken. After a moment's hesitance, she held the razorblade up, gritted her teeth, and placed it against the skin on her wrist, slowly drawing a line across her veins, from which seeped a dark red fluid. She tried to hold back a whimper, but it had escaped her lips, only a soft one though. She lifted the blade and examined the cut, deciding that it wasn't anywhere near deep enough, so she placed it directly underneath the old cut and drew a new one, pressing much harder against her soft flesh. She screamed. She couldn't help it, the pain was much too unbearable. She was sure someone would hear her but she didn't care. She had locked the door, hadn't she? Once again she picked up the razor, making numerous more gashes on her wrist, screaming many more times before her body couldn't take it anymore, and she passed out.

Harry Potter, who had taken one of his routine nightly walks around the castle, thinking about the events that had happened at the end of last year, heard a scream coming from the corridor over. He stopped in his tracks, as if afraid to be seen, that was a bit silly though, seeing as he was currently hidden underneath his invisibility cloak, and strained his ears to try and hear another scream. Sure enough, another one came, and he turned around and ran, trying to find the source of it. He had soon found himself in front of a classroom door, however he wasn't very familiar with this one. He tried opening it, but found it to be locked. Pulling out his wand, and thankful that he had decided to bring it with him that night, he muttered "Alohomora" and the door clicked open, revealing a dark room.

He lifted his hand and started to paw at the wall next to him, searching for a light switch. His fingers finally found it and he flicked it on, not seeing anything at first. He scanned the room once more over and was about to turn the lights off and leave before being caught, when his eyes caught something red and shining coming from the shadows in the farthest corner, in between a couple enormous bookshelves. He squinted and took a couple steps forward and nearly fell over when he saw what he did. A crouched human body was huddled in the corner, either unconscious or dead. He closed his eyes and cringed a little, holding his wand out and muttering another spell, "Mobilicorpus", making the girl's body float in front of him. He gasped and nearly dropped her when he saw who it was. Kora Lovel, a Gryffindor, in the same year as himself.

"Holy shit …" he muttered to himself, before finally realizing the peril that this girl was in. He ran her up to the Hospital Wing, yelling for Madam Pomfrey to come out and have a look at her.

The next morning, instead of waking up in his bed, Harry Potter found himself nearly falling out of a chair in the Hospital Wing.

"Whoa .." he said, steadying himself, wiping the sleep from his eyes as he looked over at Kora, remembering last night. Harry didn't know it, but she wasn't unconscious, just simply choosing to keep her eyes shut.

"Why?" came a feminine voice from the bed, making Harry jump yet again. He looked over and saw that Kora's eyes were now open and staring at him.

"Why what?"

"Why did you stop me? Why did you take me here?"

"Because, you were .. I thought .." he stuttered, "You needed help."

"No I didn't, you should've kept me where I was." She muttered. Harry was about to tell her how wrong she was when Dumbledore came out of Madam Pomfrey's office, a grim look on his face.

"Ahh .. Ms. Lovel. Glad to see you've awaken so soon." He said, smiling, but Harry knew it was only a feeble attempt at making Kora feel better.

"Yeah .." she muttered.

"Well Ms. Lovel, you have given us all quite a scare last night. Are you okay?"

_ I 'No!' /I _ she thought, I _'Does it look like I'm fucking O-K to you! Are you that daft old man? Do I have to spell it out for you!' /I _

"Yeah .. I'm fine."

"Good. I've asked your roommates to pack your bags, you're going to be leaving for a little while."

"Wh-what? Where am I going? Where are you taking me?"

"I think it would be best if you spent some time in St. Mungo's to help you sorten some things out. When you do, I will be delighted to welcome you back to Hogwarts."


	2. The Arrival

Kora adjusted the strap of her bag on her shoulder and looked up at the castle. It was a lot bigger than she had remembered it to be. She stuffed her hand into her pocket and pulled out the letter that was sent to her. She took her bottom lip in between her teeth and read it over for what seemed to be the billionth time. Stuffing it back in her pocket, she strode up to the large wooden doors of the castle, pushing it slowly forward so she could enter.

_"When you arrive, your presence will be requested in Professor Dumbledore's office at 6:30 sharp. Please do not be late." _Was what the letter had said, part of it anyway. She looked down at her watch. 6:18. She'd better hurry up if she wanted to make it in time, surely it would take her some time to find her way again. She fixed the shoulder strap again and dragged her trunk behind her, heading for one of the vaguely familiar staircases.

6:27, almost there. She was now in the same corridor as the gargoyle she had remembered to be the entryway to the Headmaster's office. She walked up to it and opened her mouth, about to say something, when she realized she didn't know the password.

She turned her head around, glancing down the corridor she had just came from, then to the left and right, hoping to find someone willing to help her.

"Shit ..." she muttered, turning back to the gargoyle that was blocking her path. She sighed, and lifted up a hand, forming it into a fist and rapped loudly on the stone creature, recoiling immediately.

"Ow!" she exclaimed, examining her now throbbing hand, musing at how brilliant of an idea that was. 6:29. Great, she was going to be late. She let out a sigh of frustration and turned around, deciding she should probably go look for some help.

"Miss Lovel, welcome back." Came an elderly voice from behind Kora, making her spin around in surprise, and because of the weight from her shoulder bag, fall over. Dumbledore chuckled lightly to himself, watching her stand up and brush herself off.

"You are right on time. Please join us." He said, smiling, stepping out of the way of the door so she could get past and inside the office. Kora nodded and started up the spiral staircase, but suddenly stopped.

"Wait. Us? I thought you said this would be a private meeting?"

"It is. Professor McGonagall will be attending. No students."

"Professor McGonag—ohhh .." she said, nodding to show that she understood. It had only been less than a year and she had already forgotten her beloved Head of House. The woman who had been the closest thing to a mother she had had since her real mother died. She felt nothing short of ashamed. So ashamed, that when she stepped into the Headmaster's office, she couldn't even look the Professor directly in the eye.

"So, Miss Lovel, Professor McGonagall and I have been informed from St. Mungo's that you are ready to attend school." Started the old man, taking a seat behind his desk, which was strewn with papers. "Please Miss Lovel, take a seat."

"Yes sir."

"So, it has come to our understanding that you have fully recovered from any problems you may have had. Am I right in saying this?"

_'No! That flippin' hospital made everything worse! I would've been fine! You didn't have to send me anywhere!' _she angrily thought.

"Yes sir. You're right."

"Very well. I would be pleased to admit you back into Hogwarts, if you think you're ready."

_'Of course I'm ready!' _she screamed angrily to herself _'you think I ENJOYED staying at the hospital! Anywhere is better than there!' _

"Yes sir, I'm ready."

"Very well, you will return to the Gryffindor Tower tonight. Professor McGonagall will escort you and make an announcement to the whole house that you have returned." Kora nodded in understanding and stood up from her seat, pulling her bag back onto her shoulders and bending down to pick up her trunk.

"Miss Lovel, you are aware we have house elves for that type of thing, correct?" McGonagall told her, finally speaking up.

"No .. no I'd rather take it. Thanks."

"Very well, let's go. We want to catch everybody before they head down to dinner." With that said, Kora and Professor McGonagall left Dumbledore's office and made their way up to the Gryffindor Common Room.

Kora and the Professor were walking along the hallway of the Portrait of the Fat Lady, almost all the other pictures gaping at her as she walked past. She could hear muffled whispers of "Is that really her?" "She's back" and "_Look _at that girl" Kora merely ignored the forsaken drawings and continued following her teacher.

"Piddle Sticks"

"Huh?"

"It's the password, Kora." And surely enough, when Kora looked away from the elderly woman, the portrait hole had swung forward to admit the two. Professor McGonagall walked inside and Kora hesitantly followed. As soon as the students caught sight of the teacher, they all grew quiet, as it was a rarity that she ever really entered the Common Room.

"Prefects, I would like for you to go upstairs and collect everybody who may be in their dormitories. I have an announcement to make to all Gryffindors." Immediately, Kora could see Ron, Hermione, and a couple other students pop up and rush upstairs. A couple minutes later, they returned with several students following them.

"Now that we are all here, I have something, or someone, rather, that I would like to share with you." McGonagall said, a knowing smile appearing on her face as confused whispers could be heard throughout the room.

"Those of you who were here last year, mainly the older students, may remember a girl by the name of Kora Lovel." Even more whispers could be heard at the sound of her name. "And, as some of you know, she left in the beginning of last year to take care of some .. problems. Well, I would like for you all to welcome Miss Lovel back, as she has returned for her 7th and final year here at Hogwarts."

Kora stepped out from the darkened tunnel that led to the portrait hole so everyone in the room could see her properly. Professor McGonagall applauded politely, but no one else did. Not one student. They just sat there, like lumps in Kora's opinion, staring at her.

"Well .. er .. Hermione, if you would be so kind as to show Miss Lovel to her dorm, as you will be sharing it with her." The girl Kora remembered as Hermione stood up, nodding her head and walked toward the girl's dormitory staircase, without even a glance at Kora.

"Thanks." Kora muttered to the Professor before pushing through the crowd of Gryffindor's with her luggage, following Hermione up the stairs, much like everyone's gaze followed her.

"So, Kora," Hermione started, opening the 7th year's door, "This is your room. You can start unpacking now, if you want. Dinner starts in 15 minutes, at 7:30." And then she walked out the door, leaving Kora alone. She closed her eyes and sighed, walking over to the only bed that didn't have a trunk at the foot and started to unpack.

Thanks to Lissa for helping me with the password. Also my lovely beta. Hehe, thanks!


	3. Goodnight Kora

Kora had taken Hermione's advice of starting to unpack. She opened her trunk and took out her throw blanket and whipped it in the air, in attempt to straighten it out. A little orange bottle flew out from the folds of the blanket, hitting the wall opposite her.

"Shit .." she muttered to herself, thankful that she was the only one in the room. She scurried over and picked it up, checking to make sure nothing had fallen out. After carefully making sure the bottle was tucked safely back into her trunk, she decided to go down to dinner; she was already late.

-

After scrambling through the corridors, Kora had finally managed to find the Great Hall. It's doors were left open and she could see the whole school eating their food, talking merrily amongst themselves. As soon as she took a single step inside, everything stopped. Nobody spoke a word, moved a muscle, and all eyes were on her. She looked around the hall, rooted to her spot for a couple seconds, until her eyes fell upon Dumbledore at the head table, who was giving her an encouraging smile. Kora responded to him, a quick smile appearing on her face, and then disappearing just as quickly. All eyes followed her and her echoing footsteps all the way to the Gryffindor Table, where she sat down a few seats away from Harry, Ron, and Hermione. Kora took one last look around the hall before piling food onto her golden plate.

Peeking over at the Slytherin table, she saw the egotistic Malfoy boy smirking along with his cronies. It sickened Kora, so she turned away, grimacing. She returned her attention back to her plate and slowly, the sound started coming back in the Great Hall. Only whispers at first, but then it was back to normal.

"Hey Kora .." came a voice from across the table. She lifted her head, only to come face to face with Harry Potter.

"Hey .." she greeted, her voice barely above a whisper.

"Erm .. I just wanted to say welcome back, we've really missed you –" Kora snorted.

"Yeah right. Missed making fun of me maybe." She sneered.

"No, really. Kora, I –"

"Save it, Potter, just go back to your friends. I'm sure they want to talk to you more than I do." Harry opened his mouth to say something, however Kora interrupted,

"Please, Harry. Just go." Harry let out a defeated sigh, nodded, and then went back to Hermione and Ron, who immediately started asking him questions. No doubt about Kora.

Dinner had ended quickly enough, seeing as Kora had arrived almost 20 minutes late, and she soon found herself being bustled around by the other students in attempt to leave the Great Hall and head back to the dormitories.

"Well, well. If it isn't the Lovel freak." Came a cold drawl from behind Kora, making her stop in her tracks, clenching her fists so tightly that her nails made imprints against her palms.

"What do you want Malfoy?"

"Oh, boys, she still remembers me even after a year in rehab. How touching." He smirked his vicious smirk, leaving Kora groping for her wand, only to find she had left it in her dormitory. She closed her eyes and breathed a heavy sigh, which was enough to let Draco know the predicament she was in.

"Forgotten your wand, have you? Not a very smart thing to do." His crystal blue eyes flashing as he raised a satisfied eyebrow.

"Bug off Malfoy." She said, trying to turn around.

"Oh no. Where do you think you're going?" he asked, reaching out and putting a hand on her shoulder, making her freeze. Her eyes floated to his hand, glaring at it's pale skin.

"She's coming with us, that's where." Both Draco and Kora both snapped around, only to find Harry, Ron, and Hermione standing right in front of them. Draco let go of his grasp on Kora, and she quickly made a run for it, all the way up to the Gryffindor Tower, plopping down on one of the cushy armchairs.

Minutes later, Harry and his gang returned, all laughing.

"Did you see the look on his face?" Ron practically yelled through his laughter. As soon as Kora heard them, she jumped up from her seat and ran to the girl's dormitories, ignoring the calls of "Kora! Wait! Come back!"

She made a beeline for her bed, shoving her face into her pillow and screaming. Hermione didn't immediately come up, either did anyone else, for that matter. Kora guessed that Harry had somehow persuaded them not to bother her. But why? Why would he care? Why was he being so unnaturally nice to her?

Immediately the answer came to her; Harry was the one who had found her in that empty classroom. He was the only one who actually knew exactly what had happened that night. Unless .. unless he told someone.

'_Shit ..' _she thought. _'Now everyone knows exactly why I went to St. Mungo's." _She knew Dumbledore wouldnt've told the school why she actually had to leave. If he had, he would've told her. Right?

Kora lifted her body from her bed, shuffling over to her trunk. She dug through it for a couple seconds before pulling out a clean pair of pajamas and some slippers to change into. After pulling on her red Gryffindor sleepwear, she slowly made her way down the stairs to the Common Room, sort of hoping that Harry wasn't down there. Good. He wasn't. Ron and Hermione, however, were. She glanced over at them briefly before walking off to a seat by the fire. She closed her eyes, feeling the warmth sink into her body. She pulled her knees up to her chin, hugging them to her chest. Setting her chin on top of her knees, she closed her eyes, putting into her own little conscious dreamland. She jumped, and nearly fell out of her seat when someone put a hand on her shoulder.

"Oh, I'm sorry Kora." Laughed Harry, "Mind if I sit with you?" Not waiting for an answer, he took the empty seat next to her.

"Umm .. sure. I guess, What for though?" she inquired, looking at him curiously.

"Well I just wanted to say welcome back, and that .. er .. if you ever needed anything, I'm willing to help."

"Err .. umm .. thanks Harry. Really." She said, trying to sound friendly, "I'll .. umm .. I'll let you know if I ever need anything. I've gotta go now though, okay?" And with those parting words, Kora stood up and reluctantly left her warm seat by the fire.

She climbed back up the stairs to her dormitory, only to find that the rest of the girls were now in there.

'_Oh great.'_ She thought to herself.

She quickly scrambled over to her bed and climbed into it, cuddling into the covers. Within 5 minutes she heard a chorus of "Good night Hermione." "Good night Lavender." And "Good night Parvati", until every girl in the dorm had spoken. Then, to Kora's surprise, she heard a "Good night Kora" coming from who she thought was Hermione. She dismissed it without a word, closed her eyes, and quickly fell asleep.


	4. Living Hell

School was, for lack of better term, living hell for Kora. She was usually either sitting in the farthest corner by herself, or else stuck in between the two most horrible, annoying, smelly teenagers in her class. Oh how Kora despised seating charts. Especially the one Snape had given them on Thursday afternoon..

"Patel … Zabini … Lovel … Malfoy …"

Great. Just Perfect. Stuck in between two of the worst Slytherin boys in 7th year. What could be worse? Oh yea, they're good friends. Kora gave an audible groan and, after being shot some sympathetic looks from her fellow Gryffindors, walked to her seat and set her books down on the desk. She pulled out her chair and went to sit down, but when she did, her rear end landed swiftly on the floor. All the Slytherins started laughing, and Kora looked up just in time to see the blonde boy on her right high-fiving the brunette boy on her left. She angrily got off of her cold seat on the dungeon floor and looked over to Professor Snape. He was going on assigning seats like nothing had even happened. The only noticeable change was that he now had a smirk pulling at the corners of his lips. Kora sneered at him, inwardly trying to choose the method of destruction best fit for her bastard of a teacher.

Gritting her teeth, she pulled her chair back up to her desk and sat firmly atop it, staring straight ahead, trying her best to ignore the two boys who kept poking and prodding her. She closed her eyes,

'_Only one more hour'_ she thought to herself, _'Just 60 more measly minutes.'_

But those 60 measly minutes went by like 60 million hours. Having to endure 90 minutes of Zabini, Malfoy, Snape, and paper being thrown at the back of her head was not exactly what Kora would have called a 'field day'. But with her life, what could she expect nowadays?

The bell rang, signaling the end of class. Finally! Kora wasn't sure how much more of the torture she could take. She quickly stuffed her book, quill, parchment, and ink back into her bag and rushed out the classroom door. As she did so, she bumped into a pudgy Slytherin girl, making her stumble and drop most of her belongings. Not really giving two shits about whether she knocked over a Slytherin, or killed one for that matter, she kept on walking, but only until she was forced to stop. She turned around, only to face that oh-so-familiar blonde boy she had, unfortunately, been seeing a lot of lately.

"What do you want, Malfoy?"

"You really should watch your step, Lovel." He scowled

"Oh, I'm sorry!" she sneered sarcastically, "I'll do that next time. I promise." She turned around, trying to walk away, but was once again stopped by the hand of the arrogant blonde fool that stood before her.

"Don't take that tone with me, Lovel. It'll only get you into trouble."

"Oh, really?" she half laughed, "What sort of trouble could you possibly scare me with?" she asked, raising an eyebrow, waiting for him to speak up. When he said nothing, Kora smirked and turned away.

"Yeah, I thought so."

She smiled to herself as she heard the Slytherin girl's voice yelling out to her, threatening to kill Kora, and then Draco's cold drawl holding her back.

"It's not worth it Pansy, don't bother." He said, almost lazily as she turned the corner to go up to the Gryffindor Common Room, retrieving her books for her last class of the day.

Divinations was hardly what Kora would call "interesting". She thought along the same lines as Hermione did, in the sense that she believed it to be an utterly useless waste of time. The batty old teacher (Trelawney's job had been returned to her after Umbridge left.) had loved to predict her death almost as much as she did Harry's. This year, however, she seemed to let up on some of the deadly prophecies, given the events of last year.

Kora strode slowly into the Great Hall, making her way to her lonely spot on the bench of the Gryffindor Table, facing the wall so she wouldn't have to stare at those repulsive Slytherins all meal long. She filled her goblet, piled food on her plate, and started to eat, hoping she could finish early in hopes that she could spend time alone in the Common Room sitting by the fire.

She had only just finished swallowing he last drops of pumpkin juice from her goblet when Dumbledore stood up from his seat in the front of the hall. Figuring he was going to make some big, dramatic and important speech, Kora sighed and kept her butt firmly on the seat beneath her, waiting for him to begin.

"Will the Head Boy and Girl please come to the Head Table?" was all that the old man said before returning to his seat, and his food. Kora turned around and watched as a Ravenclaw boy and a Hufflepuff girl stood up and walked over to Dumbledore.

'Well, if that's all ..' she thought, standing up and walking towards the doors. As she did, Kora saw a scowling Draco Malfoy sitting at the Slytherin Table, glaring up towards the Head Table, where the Head Boy stood, eagerly listening to what the Headmaster had to say.

He was jealous. It couldn't have been anymore obvious if there was a huge sign pointing to him that read "Look at me! I'm Draco Malfoy being all sad and pouty because I don't have the highest student authority position!"

She smirked. The smirk turned into a smile, and that, in turn, grew into a grin. It pleased her to see the one person she hated most to not get what he so desired. Kora smiled and laughed silently to herself the whole way to the Portrait of the Fat Lady, where she said the password and entered.


	5. Ruining Halloween

Kora woke up the next morning to the girls in her dorm whispering excitedly about something. She was almost positive it was about her, but when she opened the hangings of her bed, they didn't stop. There were no awkward silences as Kora walked over to the bathroom. The girls didn't stare at her like she was from a different planet. In fact, they didn't even look at her at all! She wasn't sure if this was a good change, or if they had just no longer cared whether Kora heard them talking about her.

She changed in the bathroom and walked back out, still fixing her hair into a messy bun, trying to catch some of the words that the girls were saying. The only things she could make out were "I can't wait!", "Is he really!", and something else about boys.

'_Is that all they think about, boys?' _she scoffed silently to herself, picking up her bag and walking down to the Common Room. As soon as she entered, she saw that almost everybody was crowded around the bulletin board, the younger kids walking away solemnly, and the older kids erupting into animated conversation.

Kora set her bag down by the couch, and curiously walked over to the bulletin board, standing on her tiptoes in a feeble attempt to see over the taller people's heads. She noticed there was a new poster tacked onto it, but the only word she could see was "Halloween". This drew her attention in more, seeing as her favorite holiday always had been Halloween.

She managed to squeeze through the crowd and make it to the front, now being able to see the poster as a whole.

"Halloween Ball!" It read, "For 5th, 6th, and 7th years only. Please wear your most creative costume."

Kora sighed. She never thought anyone could ever come up with a way to ruin her favorite holiday. She knew she would be the lonely upperclassmen sitting in the Common Room bombarded with annoying 2nd years asking her why she didn't go, because she would probably either not have a date, or not have a really cool costume to show off.

'_Probably the latter.' _She thought, sighing.

She squeezed back out of the crowd, trudged over to her bag on the couch, and picked it up, placing it on her shoulder. She dragged herself all the way to the Great Hall, plopping down on the bench and grabbed a bagel. She ripped off a piece and stuffed it in her mouth, staring around at all the excited girls debating on who they thought would ask who. Everyone knew Ron would be going with Hermione, Harry would be going with Ginny, Draco would be going with Pansy, and Kora would be going alone. That is, if she even went at all.

Sighing deeply, she picked up her bag, slung it on her shoulder once more, and stuffed the last of her bagel in her mouth. She started towards her Charms class, silently watching everybody she passed, and inwardly holding in her jealousy. She stepped out of the Great Hall and into the Entrance Hall, making her way silently to the Charms classroom.

She hadn't really much time to take a good look around the castle since she had been back, and noticed how beautiful, yet so familiar it all looked. She had to admit, she missed most of the scenery in the castle while at ST. Mungo's. there were portraits lining every inch of the stone walls. Some of the intricately detailed pictures reminded her of the old Kings and Queens, with those big ruffles flaring out from their necks. Others made her mind wander off to the deepest jungles in Africa. There was one extraordinarily tall one just outside the Gryffindor Tower, taking up most of the wall space from the floor to the ceiling, which depicted a giraffe feeding on an ancient tree. Although none of the portraits' inhabitants tended to stay in their own frame (they usually got bored and wandered off to visit people in other frames), they were still beautiful to look at.

Then there were the suits of armor. They had to be from a long, long time ago. Kora's best guess was the Renaissance. Whenever they moved a stiffened limb, their joints creaked. It was nearly impossible for Filch to keep up with which suits needed re-oiling, and which suits had just been oiled. But no matter how loud and annoying they were, they were always polished to perfection. They often served as a hideaway for the school's poltergeist, Peeves.

Peeves was another thing Filch always had trouble keeping up with. He was always tossing around dungbombs, or throwing vases at students' heads. Kora was extremely grateful she had yet to be thrown, literally, a welcome back anything from Peeved. In fact, she didn't think she had even seen the annoying ghoul yet.

- - - -:- - - -- - - -:- - - -

Harry's P.O.V.

Harry Potter had woken up at the normal time, 7 o'clock, and, as usual, before Ron had. He stretched for a second before picking up his pillow, silently pulling back the hangings on his best friend's bed, and chucked the pillow at his face.

"Get up Ron!" he laughed, "It's time for breakfast."

The redheaded boy in the bed next to him groaned, but sat up nonetheless, feebly throwing the pillow back at Harry, narrowly missing his head by an inch. Harry laughed again, walking over to his trunk, pulling off his nightshirt, and pulling on his school shirt.

It was clearly evident that Harry had grown into his lanky body, throughout the years. His shoulders had become much broader, his abdominal muscles had indeed flourished, as well as his arms. He had quidditch training to thank for that. His face had also, in many ways, lost that goofy look teenage boys tended to get, and he looked more like his father, James, then ever.

The 17 year old boy, now also the quidditch caption for his 7th and final year, turned to his best friend, who was now putting on his scarlet and gold Gryffindor tie.

"You almost ready, mate?"

"Yeah, yeah .. just let me get this .. okay!" he grinned, straightening the necktie, "Let's eat!"

The two boys climbed down the stairs only to see that the few stragglers who hadn't gone down to breakfast yet were peering at something on the bulletin board..

"Hey, Ron!" Harry nudged his best friend in the side, "Dumbledore's throwing a Halloween Ball!" The two boys laughed a bit at the thought of actually having to dance, but also grateful that dress robes weren't required.

Both boys eager to eat, they stepped out of the Common Room and headed toward the Great Hall.

"So, who're you going to ask to the ball?" Harry asked, already knowing the answer.

"Oh, well, I was sort of thinking about asking Hermi—" but before Ron could even finish saying her name, Harry interrupted him.

"Knew it." He laughed, poking fun at his best friend.

Everyone knew Ron and Hermione were 'involved' somehow, even if they weren't technically dating.

"What about you? Who are you thinking of asking?"

"I don't know, my first thought was Ginny.." he said, earning his a scowl from Ron's direction, "But then I thought, I don't know. Maybe I should ask Kora."

Ron stopped in his tracks and looked at Harry,

"You cannot be serious, mate!"

"What? Why not? What's so bad about her?"

"Well, nothing, but, nothing is very spectacular either."

"Well, maybe you're right, but there's something about her that makes her intriguing."

Ron just shrugged, patting his friend on the back,

"Come on, let's just go get some breakfast."


	6. Finally Something Good!

About a week after the poster had appeared in the Common Rooms, the 7th year Gryffindors could be found exiting Professor Flitwick's classroom, all eagerly looking forward to their first Hogsmeade trip of the year, which was, in fact, tomorrow. Seeing as Kora had no guardian to sign her permission slip, Dumbledore had agreed to let her go anyway. She shouldn't be punished for something she couldn't help.

Most of the students were going to take advantage of this Hogsmeade trip, planning on buying all the stuff they needed for the ball. Most everybody had already had a date. Kora had yet to be asked.

Kora bustled through the crowd, still startled and curious about the note she had received in the middle of class.

"Meet me at the tapestry in the hallway after class." Was all that it said. No name, no nothing.

Kora shifted her bag nervously on her shoulder as she made her way to the tapestry. She knew it was a Gryffindor; there was nobody from any other house in her class. The thought of anyone wanting to meet her alone still frightened her, Gryffindor or not, as she leaned against the wall, crossing her arms, waiting for this person to come.

"Kora?" Kora looked up towards the voice that said her name, startled to find herself looking into the most brilliant green eyes she'd ever seen.

"Harry? W-what are you doing here? You have to leave, I'm waiting for someone." She blurted out, not even thinking for one second that he could be the one she was waiting for. Harry laughed.

"Why are you laughing at me?"

"Because I'm the one that sent you that note."

"Oh .." Kora blushed a bright pink color, "Well, why did you ask me to come here?" She inquired, looking up at him curiously.

"Honestly? I wanted to ask you something." Harry cleared his throat nervously looking down at his feet.

"You've probably heard about that Halloween Ball, and, uh, I was wondering if you'd like to go with me? Maybe?" He glanced up at her, his eyebrows raised, waiting for an answer.

"Oh Harry. I-I don't know .." She managed to stutter out, still in shock. She hadn't expected anyone to ask her to be their date, and there she was, being asked to accompany Harry Potter. Harry Potter! Of all boys in the school, she'd last expect him. She looked at him again, his face still anxious and expectant. Maybe he actually did want to go with her. He didn't seem like one to ask her as a joke.

"Oh, I suppose so .. I mean .. Yeah. I-I guess I'll go with you." Harry's face lit up in a wide grin.

"Great! I mean .. yeah, thanks." His cheeks had a slight pink tinge to them now.

"I guess I'll be seeing you around then." he offered, looking much more relieved.

"Yeah. Sounds good." She smiled warmly at the boy in front of her, and pushed herself off the wall with her shoulders, stalking off to the Great Hall, a grin on her lips and butterflies in her stomach.

Kora pranced her way to the Great Hall, confident that something in her may not have gone horribly wrong after all. Kora entered the massive dining hall, still beaming as if she had just found a bag filled with galleons. People gave her odd looks, as if she didn't deserve to be this happy, but she ignored them and went on with her dinner. Kora figured that maybe this was the beginning of a new life. A life where she wasn't depressed, wasn't invisible, and one where she could just be a normal 17 year old girl. She even started to think that maybe, just maybe, she might even get a boyfriend. Not just any boyfriend, but Harry Potter. THE Harry Potter. Not just the boy-who-lived, but also the only student who knew the real reason for her departure last year.

Was it pity? Possibly, but then why did he look so relieved when she said yes? Was he really that desperate? Of course not! He's Harry-bloody-Potter! He could snag up any girl at Hogwarts with a slick smile and that wink of an eye.

She sighed, finishing the last of her meal and gazing around the Great Hall, deciding she wouldn't dwell on it any longer. She got out of her seat and headed to the Common Room, not seeing Harry, Ron, or Hermione at the table. She dismissed this fact, and strolled out of the Great Hall.

As she reached the Fat Lady, she murmured the password and stepped inside, immediately seeing Harry and Ron sitting in a corner chatting, a huge smile still on Harry's face. Ron nudged Harry in the side, whispered something to him, and gestured in Kora's direction, making Harry look at her. He grinned and waved to her, his other hand going up to ruffle his hair. If any one of his father's old friend had been there at that exact moment, they would have had to do a double take at how very much he looked like James. Kora waved back, smiling, tucking some stray hair behind her ear and walked up to the girl's dorms.

As soon as she stepped inside, she was nearly plowed down by Hermione, and Ginny was sitting down on Hermione's bed, looking equally excited.

"Harry's just told us!" she squealed, grabbing Kora by the shoulders and dragging her to her bed, pushing her down right next to Ginny. "You have to go shopping with us tomorrow for your dress!"

Hermione just kept babbling on and on, taking turns with Ginny.

"What are you going as?"

"How are you doing your hair?"

"Can I do your hair?"

"Can I do your makeup?"

"But I wanted to do her makeup!"

Kora groaned, suddenly remembering why she had secluded herself from the rest of the world in the past.

"I-I don't know.."

"How can you not know!"

"Can I just .. can I have some breathing room? Please?" she asked, standing up and walking to the bathroom without another word, closing and locking the door behind her. She leaned against the wall, her eyes closed and a small smile playing against her lips. She slowly slid down the wall, still smiling because the fact that for once in her life, more than one person actually noticed her for something other than being 'that weird girl'. So much so, in fact, that it was getting to be quite overwhelming.

Pushing herself to her feet, she walked towards the sink and turned on the faucet. Kora cupped her hands underneath the flowing stream to catch the falling water. She closed her eyes and brought her hands to her face, splashing the cool liquid across it. She repeated this motion twice more before straightening up, and drying her face off with a towel.

She looked at her reflection in the mirror; it didn't look like her at all. She was smiling. She could barely recognize herself when she smiled. Kora raised up a hand and tucked a piece of hair behind her ear, not being able to believe something this good could happen to her.

She took a deep breath, and turned away from her reflection, slowly opening the door and waking back out into her room. She saw Hermione sitting on her bed, reading, but Ginny was gone.

"Is your offer to go shopping tomorrow still valid?" she asked meekly.

Hermione just grinned and nodded, "Of course."


End file.
